Worth
by AbraFilo
Summary: Near waits for Mello to get his Test results and ponders about the sunny day it is outside.


Disclaimer: I do not own DeathNote or any of its characters, the events that take place are purely fictional and are not to be confused with the actual Death Note timeline.

It was one of those sunny days that everyone enjoyed, everyone except for him anyway. Near could never understand what the appeal was of bright, sunny, hot days, in his own personal experience they only hurt his eyes. Near liked to build things or play with dolls indoors and didn't leave his room if he could avoid it. Today was no different than usual except that today instead of just creating things he also destroyed something just twenty minutes ago. It all went according to plan and the item was returned back to its original place without event and Near had returned back to his room without being seen. He was confident that he wasn't spotted on the security cameras either, two months after being brought here Near knew all the blind spots by heart. It was easy because the cameras weren't to watch them they were just security measures in case someone broke in. Then after the day was over one student picked out of an ever changing routine would destroy the videos by any means possible while Roger watched and graded them on their decision making and performance. Near had always used acid and checked the room for any evidence of copies and as he left Watari, whenever he could be there, would always smile and nod approvingly. Near was special.

After hiding the small tools he had used earlier Near climbed back onto his spinning chair, gazed up at his tower and continued to wait. This time the tower was made of cards because he had never tried to make a tower of cards before. It was a long time before he collected enough to make a big enough tower and he had just recevied the last six packages to complete it today. Over all he was pleased with his effort but not the results, it just wasn't as magnificent as he had imagined. Anyone else would probably be impressed but to him, something seemed to be missing even with the light from the window giving it an almost heavenly glow. Near ran his left hand through his hair until he found a long enough piece then began winding and unwinding it around his index finger, this was taking a while. Checking the large clock on his wall Near could see that the test results were handed back four minutes and thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine, he looked away, the second hand got on his nerves very often. Near decided to pass some time by looking over his room and noticed, like he did every time he let his gaze wander, that there wasn't much to look at. It didn't bother him in the least though, he liked it that way. His room was a complete mess with everything that was already in there anyway.

Near heard the running feet approach his room suddenly and quickly adjusted himself in the chair to a respectable position just in time for the door to swing open with a loud crack as it hit the wall. He couldn't help but cringe thinking of the web of cracks that would leave, suprisingly the tower hadn't fell. Near knew that meant he would have no more personal time until it was fixed which could take a while. Just before he could estimate the time it would take to repaint the entire room Mello struted towards him with an air of superiority preceeding him. The grades went to his head faster than a hot knife through butter, Near would have to rethink his preperation for encounters like this in the future. As the older boy made his way deeper into his room Near couldn't help but notice, like he always did that Mello was dressed in all black again, even his socks. Sometimes Near wondered if Mello did it purposely to try to drive through some point or other, then he would dismiss such thoughts, Mello liked black and always had. Mello stopped at a distance so close to Near that he had to look up to meet his gaze, normally he would think it was an egotistical thing to do but Mello wasn't that deep.

"Guess what Near?" Mello asked his grin stretching further than what Near thought physics could allow, apparently he would be rethinking that too.

"I got the higher score this time" Mello answered without even waiting for an answer.

"Your point?" Near couldn't help but ask.

"My point is that you said I would never get higher grades than you and mister first in line was wrong".

"No Mello, I said you would never earn a higher grade **Average** than me, keep trying though".

Mello stood before him looking confused for a moment then enraged but closed his mouth again before any words escaped. Mello had what Near thought of as extreme emotions, he was never simply happy or angry Mello was either extatic or enraged. The longer words seemed more suited to his emotions and from body language and facial expression Near would say he was defiant at the moment and shortly after calculating this it was confirmed.

"You can't be the best at everything" Mello spat out.

"No, but I can be the best at everything that matters"

Mello's gaze dropped to confused again then flared back to rage before he turned on his heal to storm out. While storming out he turned, reached his hand into his pocket and pitched what was left of his chocolate bar at Near. If Near hadn't tilted his head it would have hit his nose then fell on his lap, the stain would have stayed forever. Instead the chocolate bar hurteld past him, then through the card tower before hitting the opposite wall. Mello had passed through the door and turned down the hall before Near even had to tilt his head. Apparently Near had succefully spoiled his day rotten beyond repair again, it really wasn't a difficult task to complete with someone so overemotional. Near sighed deeply and spun on his chair to assess the damage, he heard the cards fluttering so he knew the tower was gone. All leveled to the floor, no suprise there, Near put a foot to the floor and pulled the chair across the room to where he assumed the chocolate bar had landed. It wasn't hard to find because of the contrast in colour it had to the rest of his dull room. The wrapping was a brilliant gold colour while his floor was just a different shade of grey from the rest of his room, thinking about it in that reasoning depressed him actually.

As Near leaned down to pick up the chocolate bar he slipped off his chair and smacked his head off the wall instead. It didn't hurt that much but the throbbing would eventually evolve it into a headache anyway. Near took the bar in his small hands finally and was suprised to see it mold to shape where his fingers where pressing in on it. How could something that looked so grotesque supposedly taste so good? He decided to try it just to have an opinion of his own. Near brought the mess to his mouth and bit down, the piece in his mouth immediatly seperated from the larger one and was slowly turning to liquid in his mouth. The process from solid to liquid made him queasy and Near had already been enroute to the garbage when he had took the bite. He spit it out and rinsed all reminder away with the luke warm juice that had sat in the bottom of a plastic cup on the nearby counter since early morning. Near now had a firm opinion on chocolate "disgusting" he said to himself as he tossed into the garbage to join first piece.

It was one of those sunny days that everyone enjoyed, everyone except for him that is, he just wished them away. He wished all days away, time was the only thing keeping him from his single goal. In order to reach that goal he had to play by their rules so he couldn't just skip from A to Z it was a pointles process. He had the blinds drawn because at this point in the day the sun would shine through his window. He was rebuilding the tower although differently, this time it wasn't going to be just one tower it was going to be five towers and four walls, a castle. Near finished it again and again felt that something was missing. He thought for a moment then drug himself and the chair back to the garbage where he pulled the chocolate bar out of the wrapping. Near kept the wrapping and wheeled back to the tower where he took the top four cards from the center tower and placed the gold tinfoil on the face of each card. He placed them back at the top and could finally admire his work, in a room of grey gold had a way of standing out. Now there was nothing left to do and it wasn't even supper so he went back to wishing the day gone. Near knew that Mello had no way of outdoing him in the next test because his computer was broken and Mello would never study if he couldn't play some gory flash game on the side. Near often wondered if things may have turned out differently if he hadn't cheated so often. Cheating wasn't something you could walk away from though, it was an addiction, like creating, like chocolate, like winning.


End file.
